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Gabriel Metsu, 'A Man and a Woman seated by a Virginal', about 1665

About the work

A young couple seem about to strike up a duet. The woman, seated at the keyboard of a virginal, hands her partner a musical score, presumably the part for the violin on the table next to him. Scenes of music making among young people were common in seventeenth-century Dutch painting, and they would certainly have been understood as references to romantic love and – often – a setting for potential debauchery.

Here Metsu seems to be drawing a parallel between the wine glass proffered by the young man and the one held by the figure in the picture on the wall. This refers to another painting by Metsu, one showing drunken celebration on the Christian festival of Twelfth Night. So he might be suggesting that this scene of musical innocence could, fuelled by alcohol, lead to something less chaste. The biblical texts on the virginal seem to be a warning against this.

Key facts

Full title
A Man and a Woman seated by a Virginal
Artist
Gabriel Metsu
Artist dates
1629 - 1667
Date made
about 1665
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
38.4 × 32.2 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Inscribed
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1871
Inventory number
NG839
Location
Room 16
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners
Frame
17th-century Dutch Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

More works by Gabriel Metsu

A Woman seated at a Table and a Man tuning a Violin
A Woman seated at a Table and a Man tuning a Violin
Gabriel Metsu
Metsu has highlighted the woman seated at the table – light from the high window falls on her bright red bodice – to confirm her as the centre of our attention.Her companion or teacher tunes his violin in the background, catching our eye with an inscrutable stare. It isn’t clear whether the viola...
Not on display
A Young Woman seated drawing
A Young Woman seated drawing
Gabriel Metsu
This woman is engrossed in sketching a stone bust; hanging over the edge of the table is an engraving. Copying sculpture and images such as this was part of an artist’s training. In the background we can see an easel, as well as books, a globe and a classical arch and column, which evoke a wider...
Room 17
An Old Woman with a Book
An Old Woman with a Book
Gabriel Metsu
One of Gabriel Metsu’s great strengths as an artist was his ability to absorb ideas and influences from other artists. Here he has borrowed a device from Gerrit Dou, who had probably trained him in Leiden a few years earlier.Dou had found success with a series of ‘niche paintings’ – scenes, somet...
Not on display
The Interior of a Smithy
The Interior of a Smithy
Gabriel Metsu
From the world of outdoors, a horseman – dashing, smart and confident – has stepped into the gloomy interior of a blacksmith’s shop. He strikes a superior pose and his status is underlined by his expensive scarlet coat, its gold braid and the hilt of his sword glittering in the dim light. While t...
Not on display
Two Men with a Sleeping Woman
Two Men with a Sleeping Woman
Gabriel Metsu
The objects on the table – an innkeeper’s slate, playing cards, a pipe, a silver cup, a tankard and a backgammon box – imply that this is a tavern. The sleeping woman might be the innkeeper’s wife, a barmaid or, possibly, a prostitute, and the painting is drawing attention to her vices. Cards and...
Room 17
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